


Through Wars and Harvest Moons

by enigmaticblue



Series: The Letters 'Verse [4]
Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-12
Updated: 2011-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-14 17:10:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe it had taken 16,000 kilometers and eight months, but Brennan was willing to believe that Booth really was that guy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through Wars and Harvest Moons

Brennan brushed her hair back from her face. She’d been thinking of this regularly scheduled video chat all week, ever since their last virtual meeting. Although Brennan had been able to see for herself that Booth was alive and in one piece, that had been a week ago, and a lot could happen in a week. These weekly meetings weren’t really enough to completely reassure her, but they were all she had, aside from the emails.

 

Brennan knew she wouldn’t be entirely satisfied until they were both home, meeting at the coffee cart for the first time in a year.

 

And in another hour, she’d be talking to Booth again, having the closest thing to a face-to-face interaction that she could get.

 

Brennan pushed all thoughts of Booth out of her mind and focused on the skull in front of her, still half-buried in the thick, rich loam. So far, this find appeared promising, enough so that she was able to concentrate on the job at hand and not Booth.

 

She immersed herself in her work, studying the zygomatic arch and the parts of the mandible that were visible. Brennan thought she was reaching a breakthrough when she heard—and felt—the pounding of footsteps behind her. No one ran on the dig site, and the unusual rhythm alarmed her. Brennan looked up to see Daniel Fritz running towards her.

 

Her heart sank as she saw the expression on Daniel’s face. “What is it? Who died?”

 

“You had a call,” Daniel replied breathlessly. “I took a message.”

 

Brennan took the scrap of paper from his hand with numb fingers. “Did someone—”

 

“No one is dead,” he said gently. “It’s about your Booth. Read the message, Temperance.”

 

Brennan swallowed, her eyes skimming over the words, seeing but not comprehending. Slowly, surely, the meaning began to sink in—gunshot wound, femoral artery, stable condition.

 

She closed her eyes; the news wasn’t good, but it wasn’t as bad as it could be.

 

“Temperance—”

 

“I have to go,” she said quietly. “Can you take over for me?”

 

Her work on the skull was forgotten, her progress meaningless in the light of the news she’d received.

 

“Of course,” Daniel assured her. “Whatever you need, for as long as you need it.”

 

“I don’t think I can come back,” Brennan admitted. If Booth needed her—once she saw him again, Brennan didn’t think she’d be able to leave him so easily.

 

Daniel smiled, and the expression held an edge of wistfulness. “We will miss you, but yes. I can take over for you.”

 

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “Really.”

 

“I’m your friend, Temperance. And I understand,” Daniel added. “I would hope you’d do the same for me.”

 

She smiled. “Of course. If you get the chance—come visit me in D.C. Bring Tony.”

 

He returned her smile. “I’d love that.”

 

~~~~~

 

A few calls on the satellite phone indicated that Booth had been transferred to Landstuhl Hospital in Germany, and from there would go to Walter Reed in D.C. to complete his recovery. Brennan’s only real option at this late date was to fly to Los Angeles and get a flight to D.C. from there. If she tried going to Germany, she’d be landing just as Booth was leaving, and even if she made it to Landstuhl before he departed, there was no guarantee they’d allow her to fly with him.

 

If Brennan flew to D.C., she could get there a full day before Booth, and then she’d be available for whatever he needed. She could be a real partner to him.

 

Brennan called Angela during her layover in L.A. and explained what had happened.

 

“Whatever you need, sweetie,” Angela promised.

 

“I don’t want you to cut your year in Paris short,” Brennan protested. “I just thought you should know.”

 

“Brennan,” Angela began in the tone that meant serious business. “Booth is family, and so are you. If you’re back at the Jeffersonian, so are we.”

 

“Are you sure?” Brennan asked, feeling as though she had to put up an argument even though she wanted Angela and Hodgins back as soon as possible.

 

“We’ve spent eight months here,” Angela replied. “We’re coming home.”

 

“I thought maybe you’d make Paris your home,” Brennan admitted.

 

Angela laughed. “It was a nice break, but we’d always planned on coming back to D.C. when you did. _That’s_ home. We’ll see you in a few days.”

 

“Thank you,” Brennan said.

 

“Whatever you need, sweetie,” Angela promised, and Brennan was forcibly reminded of Daniel, who had promised the same thing. She had no idea what she’d done to engender that kind of loyalty, but Brennan was grateful for it.

 

Brennan was dead on her feet by the time she disembarked the plane at Dulles. She hadn’t expected anyone to meet her; Brennan had planned to catch a cab from the airport to her apartment, so it was a pleasant surprise to see Camille Saroyen standing by the baggage claim for her flight.

 

Cam’s eyes were ringed with shadows, the lines around her eyes and mouth deep with weariness and pain. “Dr. Brennan. It’s good to see you again.”

 

“Dr. Saroyen,” Brennan said, keeping her voice level with some difficulty. “I didn’t expect…”

 

Cam pulled her into a brief, fierce embrace. “Angela called me,” she explained briefly. “And before you ask, Seeley called me just a few hours ago. He’ll be at Walter Reed by early tomorrow afternoon.”

 

“Good,” Brennan breathed out. “Good. He’s okay?”

 

“He’s getting a little cranky from the forced rest, but he’s going to be fine.”

 

Brennan took a deep breath. “That’s good news.”

 

“It certainly is.” Cam motioned to the carousel. “Did you have any other bags?”

 

“I didn’t take much with me the first time around,” Brennan admitted. “And I left a lot behind. I just—I wanted to get back.”

 

Cam nodded. “Of course. I told Booth you’d be there, and he seemed grateful.”

 

Brennan thought about their scheduled video chat, the one that had been put on hold indefinitely. She’d be seeing Booth soon enough, with nothing between them, and Brennan had no idea what to do about that fact. They’d been honest with each other through their emails and Skype calls, and Brennan had every belief that Booth understood how she felt.

 

But that didn’t mean she was quite ready to see him for real.

 

“Thank you for coming to pick me up,” Brennan said. “I appreciate it.”

 

Cam shrugged. “It’s good to have you back, Dr. Brennan. I’ve missed working with you.”

 

Brennan smiled. Her months in the jungle had given her a new understanding of how much her friends meant to her. “I’ve missed you, too, Dr. Saroyen.”

 

~~~~~

 

Her apartment was just as she left it. Brennan had made certain that the rent would be paid, and that a cleaning service would come in monthly to knock the dust off things. By the time Brennan arrived at her apartment, she was tired and worn thin with exhaustion, and she was incredibly grateful that only a week or two had passed since the last visit from the service.

 

Brennan collapsed onto her bed facedown, leaving her duffel bag in a corner of the room. There was no need to unpack. She had left enough of her things behind that her sloth would make no difference.

 

She fell asleep almost immediately, much to her surprise, and slept the clock around. When she woke early the next afternoon, Brennan blinked in surprise at the numbers on the digital clock, which read 2:14 PM.

 

Booth would arrive at Walter Reed within hours, Brennan realized. She didn’t have much time to get cleaned up and changed if she was going to meet him there.

 

She was in the lobby of the hospital by 3:30, well before Booth was due to arrive, but she had so far been frustrated by the staff’s insistence that they couldn’t tell her anything.

 

“I know I’m not family,” Brennan repeated. “But I’m his partner. I’m meeting him here. You can at least tell me if you have an ETA.”

 

“I can’t—”

 

“Dr. Brennan!”

 

She turned to see Rebecca standing behind her, holding Parker’s hand. “Rebecca.” Brennan managed a smile. “Hey, Parker.”

 

“Hi, Bones.” Parker’s ebullient smile was more subdued today. “Did you come to see Dad?”

 

“Yes, I did,” she replied. She didn’t know if Parker or Rebecca knew that she’d been in Indonesia for the last eight months, although it probably didn’t matter.

 

“Would you mind sitting with Parker for a minute?” Rebecca asked. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

 

Brennan nodded. She had no other options at this point; as the mother of Booth’s child, Rebecca might be able to get information where she couldn’t.

 

She and Parker each sat in one of the hard plastic chairs lining the lobby, and Parker tucked his backpack between his feet.

 

Brennan couldn’t take her eyes off Rebecca; she badly wanted news of Booth’s condition.

 

“Is my dad going to be okay?” Parker asked after a moment of silence.

 

Brennan tore her eyes away from the admissions desk and focused on Parker. “What did your mom say?”

 

“She said he was going to be okay, but Dad said you always tell the truth, so I thought you’d tell me if he wasn’t.” Parker’s dark eyes were so much like Booth’s in that moment. Brennan could picture Booth saying just that.

 

Brennan took a deep breath; she knew that she couldn’t lie to Parker on this one. “As far as I know, your dad is going to be fine.”

 

“And you’re going to help him?” Parker pressed. “Mom said he had a broken leg, and you’re a bone doctor, so you’ll help, right?”

 

“I’m going to do everything I possibly can for him,” Brennan promised.

 

Parker nodded. “Okay.” He slumped back in his chair and kicked his feet, which were still a couple of inches off the floor. “That’s cool then.”

 

She marveled at his absolute trust, the way Parker could just take her word for it and be okay. Was that what it was like to have a child, she wondered. She’d thought she wanted one, she’d thought—she knew—that Booth would make a good father. Right now, Brennan thought she might want a child with Booth—someday.

 

Maybe it had taken 16,000 kilometers and eight months, but Brennan was willing to believe that Booth really was _that_ guy—the guy she could spend the next 30 or 40 or 50 years with.

 

She _wanted_ that, and she was willing to risk everything to have it.

 

Rebecca crossed the lobby with a few quick steps, her shoes squeaking a bit on the tiles. “Okay, Seeley should be here in about 15 minutes. The nurse promised to let us know when he arrived and was settled in.”

 

Brennan smiled. “Good. That’s—really good.”

 

“He’s going to be fine,” Rebecca insisted. “Seeley is going to make a full recovery.”

 

Brennan nodded. “Of course.”

 

“Could I speak to you for a minute, Dr. Brennan?” Rebecca asked. She hadn’t sat down yet, and when Brennan stood, Rebecca took her arm and pulled her over to a corner of the lobby.

 

“Is he—” Brennan began.

 

“He’s fine. There are rods and pins and metal plates, and they aren’t sure how well he’s going to be able to walk, but they think he’ll be fine—eventually.” Rebecca took a deep breath. “As soon as he’s settled, they’re going to let us know, and then Parker and I will spend a few minutes with him. That should leave you the rest of the afternoon and evening.”

 

Brennan understood what Rebecca was saying—if she and Parker stopped in first, they could give her more time with Booth. She appreciated the concern. “Thank you.”

 

“I know what you and Seeley mean to each other, Dr. Brennan,” Rebecca replied.

 

“Temperance, please.”

 

Rebecca nodded and managed a smile. “Temperance. Of course.”

 

Parker was occupied with some sort of video game when Brennan and Rebecca took seats on either side of him. Rebecca pulled out her Blackberry, which reminded Brennan that she had her own phone to play with.

 

She had a backlog of emails to deal with, which was made difficult by the tiny keyboard, but it wasn’t impossible. Angela had sent a message to say that they were on their way to D.C.; Cam wanted Brennan to know that she was awaiting her call, and would come to Walter Reed as soon as Booth arrived. Agent Perotta had emailed, saying that she was looking forward to working with her until Booth was back on duty.

 

There were messages from her grad students, saying that they had missed working with her, but were excited to have her back. There was a message from Daniel as well:

 

 _Temperance,_

 _I’m so sorry that your Booth was injured. I wish him a speedy recovery, and I will do my poor best to take over for you here. Know that you will be missed._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Daniel_

 

Brennan blinked back tears. Somehow, in spite herself, she’d made friends in Maluku. She did hope to see Daniel again.

 

This was why she and Booth caught murderers, Brennan thought. They wanted to make the world safe for their friends, for their _family_. Brennan had lost sight of that for a little while, but she understood better now.

 

Identifying bones that were hundreds or thousands of years old was great, but it wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Brennan wanted to make the world safer for her friends and family—for Parker, and for the child she might have someday.

 

“Sergeant Booth is ready for you.”

 

The words of the doctor caused Brennan to look up.

 

Rebecca and Parker followed the doctor to Booth’s room, with Brennan only half a step behind. The doctor gave Brennan a strange look as they stopped just shy of the door. “He can have more visitors tomorrow, but for right now, there should only be one person at a time.” She glanced at Parker. “I can make an exception for your son, but—”

 

“We’ll only be a few minutes,” Rebecca assured her. “Temperance will sit with him once we’re gone.”

 

The doctor nodded, and then hurried down the hall, probably to update other families and visit with other patients. Brennan met Rebecca’s eyes and nodded briefly. “Take all the time you need,” she said.

 

Rebecca smiled. “Thanks.”

 

Brennan tried not to listen at the door while Rebecca ushered Parker inside. In the past eight months, she’d visualized meeting Booth again and again, but it had always involved the coffee cart and the Reflecting Pool. She’d imagined meeting him at night in the soft glow of the street lamps, or in the cool early morning, or in the glare of a midday sun.

 

She hadn’t allowed herself to imagine this kind of meeting—one conducted under the watchful eyes of doctors and nurses, exes and children, in the glare of fluorescent lights. And if they had to meet again in a hospital, Brennan would have preferred that she be the one injured.

 

Brennan was lost in thought when Rebecca emerged with Parker in tow. “He wants to see you,” Rebecca said. “We’ll be back tomorrow, but we both need to eat, and I thought—”

 

Rebecca didn’t finish her thought, but she gave Brennan a sympathetic smile, and Brennan knew that they were united in _this_ , at least—they both wanted Booth whole and healthy again, and they would do anything to make sure of it.

 

“Thank you,” Brennan managed.

 

She wiped sweaty palms on the legs of her jeans and took a deep breath before she entered, unaccountably nervous, even though they spoke over Skype a week ago.

 

A little more than a week, Brennan realized. They had missed their most recent appointment.

 

Booth’s smile was wide and welcoming when he spotted her in the doorway. He was pale, and his face was lined with pain, but his grin was wide and goofy. “Bones!”

 

“They have you on the good pain medications,” Brennan observed.

 

Booth chuckled. “The best.”

 

“Good.” Brennan perched in the chair next to his bed. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Pretty good,” Booth replied. “Like you said, they’ve got me on the good drugs.”

 

She approached him, sitting down in the chair next to Booth’s bed. “How bad?”

 

Booth reached out, and Brennan folded her hand into his. “They’re saying I’m going to make a full recovery.”

 

“I can read medical charts,” Brennan threatened.

 

A smile tilted his lips. “Yeah, I know. I’ve got a rod in my femur, and I’ve got a few pins in place. I’m never going to be able to go through a metal detector again without setting it off.”

 

“And?” Brennan prompted.

 

“And what?”

 

“When are you going to be back at work?”

 

Booth’s eyebrows went up. “That’s all you care about?”

 

“I don’t like to work without you!” Brennan protested. “It doesn’t feel right, and I want you back, Booth.”

 

He grinned brightly. “You missed me.”

 

“I already told you that,” Brennan snapped. “Booth—”

 

“I get it.” Booth squeezed her hand. “I do. I missed you, too.”

 

Brennan softened slightly. “Thanks.”

 

“How long can you stay?” Booth asked, his voice fading slightly.

 

“How long do you want me to stay?” she countered.

 

“As long as you can,” Booth said.

 

“Cam is coming over as soon as she can,” Brennan said. “And Angela and Hodgins are flying in from Paris as soon as they get a flight.”

 

“What about you?” Booth asked.

 

“I’ll stay as long as I can,” Brennan promised. “As long as you want me here.”

 

“Thought you’d want to get back to work immediately,” Booth said, his eyes already drooping shut.

 

Brennan smiled and gripped his hand a little tighter. “I’m going to take a little time,” she assured him. “After that, I guess we’ll see.”

 

Booth’s face was already slack with sleep, but Brennan thought she saw the hint of a smile around his mouth.

 

For the first time since she’d heard that Booth had been injured, Brennan drew in a deep breath. He would be fine, she thought. He’d make a full recovery, because this was _Booth_ , and not even a brain tumor stopped him.

 

She had to believe that a bullet to the leg would leave him no worse off. Booth would get up, shake it off, and come back to work in a reasonable period of time.

 

But until then, she had to keep Booth company, and make a few calls to make certain that Booth didn’t lose his job. Brennan had no problem with either objective.

 

Brennan focused on answering her email until Cam stuck her head in the door. “Is it safe to come in?”

 

“Of course,” Brennan replied. “He’s been sleeping for the last couple of hours.”

 

Cam smiled. “Good. I’m sure that’s the best thing for him.”

 

“Do you want me to leave?” Brennan asked. “The doctor said Booth should probably only have one visitor at a time.”

 

Cam shook her head. “I can’t stay long. I promised Michelle we’d talk about college applications tonight.”

 

“It’s that time already?” Brennan asked.

 

Cam laughed shortly. “Yeah, that’s what I said. Unfortunately, yes. College application time approaches. I’m hoping to influence her enough to go with a really good school.”

 

Brennan had no idea how much influence Cam might realistically wield, but she suspected that the best possible thing to say might be, “Good luck,” which was exactly what she did say.

 

“Thanks,” Cam replied. “But I think it’s going to take a little more than luck.”

 

Booth woke then, and groggily said hello to Cam.

 

“Agent Perotta thought she might stop by tomorrow, if that’s okay with you,” Cam said, moving closer to Booth’s bed.

 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Booth asked, sleepy and semi-coherent. “The more the merrier, right?”

 

Cam met Brennan’s eyes with a wry smile. “It might be a good idea for you to meet with her, too, Dr. Brennan. She’s still filling in for Booth until he’s back on his feet again.”

 

Brennan hated the idea. She liked Perotta well enough, but she wanted to work with Booth; no other agent would do.

 

“That’s good,” Brennan managed to say, keeping her voice neutral. “Although I think I’d like to take a few days to settle in.”

 

She didn’t look at Booth when she spoke. Brennan had always thrown herself back into work as soon as she returned; she’d never needed a few days.

 

She didn’t need the time now; she wanted to take it for Booth.

 

Cam nodded. “Take the week, Dr. Brennan. I haven’t broken the news to Dr. Barnes that his term at the Jeffersonian will be ending sooner than anticipated.”

 

“Thank you,” Brennan said sincerely.

 

Booth was asleep when Brennan turned to look at him again.

 

“I need to get going,” Cam said. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you, Dr. Saroyen.”

 

“Anything you guys need, Dr. Brennan.”

 

Brennan watched her leave and turned back to Booth, slipping her hand into his. Now that she was here, her hand in Booth’s, Brennan had no idea what happened next.

 

From the moment Daniel had delivered the news, Brennan had imagined what she would say when she saw him again. She’d been so frank in her emails and in their chats, she had no idea what was left to say—and yet, there was everything to say.

 

Brennan wanted to tell him that she loved him, that he meant everything to her, that the idea of his death was inconceivable. And she had no idea how to put any of that into words.

 

She’d hoped that Booth would wake before the nurses forced her to leave, and his eyes fluttered open just an hour or so before visiting hours ended.

 

“You’re still here,” Booth said with a goofy grin.

 

Brennan smiled in reply. “I’m still here, although the nurses are going to kick me out soon.”

 

“Stay,” Booth urged.

 

“As long as I can,” she promised. “And I’ll be back tomorrow, and every day after that until you’re discharged.”

 

“You won’t get tired of me?”

 

“I haven’t seen you for eight months—at least not in person,” she amended. “I was used to seeing you every day. I missed that.”

 

Booth’s smile softened. “Yeah? I missed you, too. Hell, I missed your squinterns.”

 

“So, it’s not just me, huh?”

 

“Aw, Bones. I missed you most of all.”

 

Even though his face was pale, the lines on his face deepened through pain, the warmth in his eyes was the same. Brennan suddenly found the words.

 

“Booth, you’re the guy.”

 

She could tell from his expression that the meaning behind her words didn’t sink in right away, so she repeated, “Booth, you’re _the_ guy.”

 

The confusion cleared. “Bones…”

 

“I mean it.”

 

“Now you tell me?” Booth protested. “I’m going to be laid up for a while, Bones.”

 

“Then you can recuperate at my place,” Brennan replied. “Your apartment building doesn’t have an elevator. Mine does.”

 

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Booth said.

 

“Think about it,” she urged.

 

Booth took a deep breath. “You’re serious.”

 

“I’m serious.”

 

“I’ll think about it,” he said, but his tone said that he’d probably give in. “Thanks for being here.”

 

“There’s nowhere else I want to be,” she said honestly. She rose as the nurse bustled into the room. “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Booth tightened his grip on her hand and tugged her towards him. Brennan didn’t resist when Booth pulled her closer. His lips were dry and chapped under hers, but she didn’t care.

 

Brennan understood now. Maybe she was being selfish, maybe Booth would be better off without her, but she didn’t think she could live without him.

 

Maybe, just this once, she could have it all.

 

“See you soon,” Booth murmured, his lips brushing her cheek.

 

“Soon,” Brennan promised.

 

Not soon enough, but she would have to be content with what she could get.


End file.
